History

Recent History

Occasionally, n.o.madic tribal sends out a e-letter letting folks know what we're up to. Read past editions below--and hey, if you'd like to be added to our e-list, e-mail me: ali (at) nomadictribal.com

words from n.o.mad's land :: september 2006

the LATEest from n.o.madic tribal :: reminder ~ september 2006

The Roots

September of 2000 ushered in a new era for the city of New Orleans with the debut of its first American Tribal Style Bellydance troupe, Devyani. Under the direction and tutelage of Meg Gavin (Megha), ATS grew roots in the Crescent City and Devyani developed into a dynamic group of performers dedicated to this unique style of improvisational dance. Three years later, Megha and the members of Devyani are proud to have had the opportunity to dance together in such diverse arenas as DramaRama at the Contemporary Arts Center, the New Orleans Bellydance Festival, UNO's International Night, as well as numerous appearances at Café Brasil, Byblos Restaurant, and the Blue Nile. Thanks to Megha and her hard work in establishing ATS in New Orleans, this electrifying dance has become a treasured part of life for many local women.

In the fall of 2003, Megha’s students in New Orleans found themselves having to wish their teacher farewell as she carried her vision of Devyani with her to Birmingham, Alabama, where she continues to perform and teach.

Branching Out

While Megha and Devyani are taking Birmingham by storm, her friends in New Orleans are working hard to nurture the dance she introduced here. Teachers Ali Arnold, Amy Hession, and Lisa Lala are directing the new bellydance collective known as n.o.madic tribal dance company. Honoring the cultural origins of the movements incorporated into ATS, n.o.madic tribal dance company seeks to forge a powerful connection between this artistic discipline and the city of New Orleans while cultivating personal strength and joyous group expression through improvisational dance.

Why n.o.madic? We see continuity between the various wandering tribes that inspire our dance aesthetic and the tribal bellydance tradition being established in the West. Nomads across the world recognize no fixed borders for their expression, but rather carry their artistic culture with them wherever they go. n.o.madic tribal dance company pays tribute to the spirit of these travelers by embracing and promoting the continually transformative journey known as tribal style bellydance.

Thanks to the support of our teacher Megha and all of the outstanding ATS dancers in New Orleans, we are thrilled to perpetuate the growth of tribal bellydance in the distinctive city we call home. Welcome to n.o.madic tribal dance company - the beat goes on!

Post-Katrina

So many have found newer gardens elsewhere, and those of us who have returned feel turned inside out. Katrina turned us all around and made us reexamine our values and our futures. n.o.madic tribal is no exception.

We've re-examined our lives as individuals and as always, are allowing those insights to shape our vision of n.o.madic tribal. Here's where we are, post-K:


Lisa (Lala) Mauthe, co-director and principal dancer, announces her retirement.
Lisa and her newlywed husband Byron have chosen to focus their time and energies on making a family. Dance buoyed Lisa through many troubled times, (including the time she performed in DramaRama just days after her house burned down, leaving her with a bag of belongings—thank god, it was dance clothes!), and her dance family has been a circle of support for her. I';m sure Lisa would like for me to extend her heart felt love to each of you, and I want everyone to know that Amy, Tanya, Mary and I all support her decision with open-hearts. Sh's promised that she'll come out of retirement on occasion to dance with us, but for now, she'll spend more time at home with her new hubby.


n.o.madic tribal drops "dance company" from their name and vision.
Our initial plan, when Amy, Lisa, and I conceived n.o.madic—(and it was a conception, birth, and baby)—was that we would create an inclusive school, where every student would be considered a valued member and every student would take stock in our company and its vision.

This ideal was difficult to achieve, and despite our best efforts, we eventually have come to see that, try as we might, we just don't have the capacity to nurture the growth of a company of dancers when we are so young ourselves. So, we have re-evaluated and have decided that focusing on our own growth as a performing troupe is where our focus should be right now.

We will, on occasion, teach workshops in and outside of New Orleans. And some of us may, at some future point, decide to teach on-going dance classes again—for we do love it. But these classes will be taught by individual dancers and will not be directly associated with n.o.madic tribal.


a new n.o.madic tribal emerges.
We've had a great number of ideas in the works since the inception of n.o.madic, but we've never had the time or energy to work on integrating them (or to integrate them fully). Now that we're no longer teaching on-going classes, we plan to devote a great deal more time to dancing—and thus, to developing our own voice and style. Amy and I will continue to direct the troupe, and Tanya and Mary, of course, are committed to—and excited about—our new plans. Our hope is that this new n.o.madic will be much closer to our original vision.



other n.o.mads send word.
Lenay Dunn, original n.o.madic tribal member, has now finished her Master's degree at Stanford, and is currently employed at a Bay Area think tank devoted to educational reform. She and Tish are happy there and have no plans to return to New Orleans in the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, Lenay dances with us in our hearts and will always be a member of n.o.madic no matter how far away she is.

Phuon Nguyen, who was attending advanced classes before Katrina and performing in an internshipposition, has no plans to return to New Orleans as her workplace will not be reopening and her house was flooded. Last I spoke with her, she was in Korea visiting Todd, but did think she'd be back in Louisiana soon.


a personal note from the directors to n.o.madic tribal company members:
We fear that many of you will feel abandoned at a time when you need dance most, and if you do, please hear our open-hearted apologies. Dance is important. And its practice can lend a rhythm to your life, especially in this time of post-Katrina improvisation. We're sorry that we can't provide you with an outlet for that practice right now.

However, we urge you to continue your practice under the tutelage of other teachers, and we support you as you find your own dance path. Please know that we continue to love each of you with open hearts and wish you goodness and grace.